As a kid, I know I was both a bully, as well as a victim of bullying, at different parts of my life. I’m not proud of the stupid things I said to a girl in middle school who certainly didn’t deserve my teasing, and I certainly don’t recall memories of being teased about everything from my height, weight, brain, place of living, family income and clothing during various parts of my childhood fondly, either.

And I’m not alone. About a third, or 5.7 million, of the kids in America are either bullies or victims of bullying. These kids often suffer from low self-esteem and become anxious and insecure. Being bullied further harms their development of key social skills and causes endless suffering, sometimes to the point where kids will even lie to get out of school.

Please join me in asking Congress to pass the Safe Schools Improvement Act (H.R. 2262) today. This act would establish America’s first-ever federal law to enforce widespread anti-bullying measures in all schools—including protection for kids who are bullied because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. These kids are among the most teased and bullied students in our country. Some end up being victims of very violent acts—or even committing suicide to escape the terror.

And I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the best way to create a peaceful world is to teach our children about being kind people. Don’t use violence in the home or encourage violent video games, television, or music. If your child wants to explore these things when it is age-appropriate, use your own discretion but please be sure to discuss it with your child, making it known how your family doesn’t approve of such behavior toward other human beings (or animals, for that matter, in many instances).

Bullies are kids who need love and support, too. They typically come from homes that provide little to no emotional support, and their caregivers rarely monitor their activities. They also often have caregivers with little to no involvement in their lives at all. Keeping our children from becoming bullies is just another one of the hundreds of reasons why it’s so crucial to be involved parents.

In fact, bullies are more likely to be involved in crime later in live, with 60% of bullies in one study having a criminal conviction by the time they were 24. When we stop bullying and teach that violence is not okay, we’re helping bullies avoid a violent life of pain as well.

Teaching Tolerance’s guide, which contains 101 easy ideas, may also help you in guiding your child toward a compassionate world view and behavior. And while your child may slip up, or mistakenly follow the crowd (as I did with that poor classmate of mine), respond to them with kindness, too. Acknowledge that a mistake was made, an apology is certainly needed, and continue to teach that bullying—and any other form of violence—is always wrong.